Blade versus Blade

Shi Li looked at Shi Ziyun for a bit, noticing her gaze of fear whenever he looked at him. He then thought that he went too far with his derived technique. "Did I go too far? I probably did."

He inwardly let out a sigh of relief, as he knew that he affected Shi Ziyun's mental fortitude, due to the fact that Shi Li inflicted multiple injuries onto her in one move. "Nonetheless, the prowess of Inferno Ring is extremely strong. I wonder how strong it could get if I master the [Five Element Sword Technique]."

He still did not forget that he was cultivating the [Three Element Sword Technique] in preparation to cultivate the [Five Element Sword Technique]. He had the confidence that he would cultivate it to its fullest.

Although Shi Ziyun said that Shi Li shouldn't come near her, he still came closer as he let out his aura, forcing her to keep silent. Shi Li then kneeled down on one knee and looked at the multiple lacerations on both of her arms.

"Ssssss..." Shi Li could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. Although to others, it looked like he used his full strength in conjuring the Inferno Ring, he only used 30% of his strength as a test since it was the first time he would it.

Now that he had seen the effects of 30% of his full strength, he felt that it wouldn't be impossible for him to kill a cultivator at the Martial Adept stage if that was the case. Shi Li let out a sigh as he asked, "I'm incredibly sorry. I truly regret using this. Are you okay?"

Shi Ziyun, who still had a gaze of fear whenever she looked at Shi Li, tried to calm her emotion before answering with a shaky voice, "I...I'm f-fine..."

Shi Li looked at Shi Ziyun's current appearance and could not help but sigh. "It seems that this is the first time she has suffered a setback."

Shi Li did not say anything after that and just helped her stand up and get to the healers of the clan, hastily healing the lacerations on her arms.

Afterwards, Shi Li walked towards where the remaining participants were and sat cross-legged before meditating to digest his experiences. He felt that there was enough time for him to optimize his techniques.

While Shi Li was meditating, one of the remaining participants could not help but look at his meditating body with admiration. This participant was Shi Daoliang.

"Shi Li, you've truly opened my eyes on how to use the blade," Shi Daoliang muttered to himself. He had a feeling that if he did what Shi Li did, he would definitely make some good progress in his sword arts.

And with the first duel between Shi Li and Shi Ziyun ending up with Shi Li winning, the next three duels proceeded at a speed that was somewhat comparable to the speed that Shi Li took to win his duel.

All of the spectators could not help but cheer and scream as they watched the fights that seemed like a fight between life and death. In the midst of this, Shi Li still remained in a meditative state, not caring about the matters of the outside as he continued to optimize his derived techniques.

Without surprise, the winners of the next three duels were part of the 10 chosen clan members of the first test, specifically Shi Daoliang, Shi Shisi, and Shi Huaqiang.

And with that, after about 20 minutes or so, the lineup for the semifinals have been chosen, with all of them the 10 chosen clan members of the first test.

...

While the cheers and applauses resounded throughout the clan arena as Shi Xingtai announced the official start of the semifinals, Shi Li finally opened his eyes as he let out a sigh of contentment. He stood up and thought to himself, 'With the techniques being optimized, I have a feeling that they'll be more dangerous than before.'

Of course, he would go easy on his clan members, limiting himself to around 20 to 30 percent of his strength at most since it was not worth making feuds within the family. After making sure that they were all optimized, Shi Li walked towards Shi Shisi and talked a bit about their current chances of leading to the finals while looking at what Shi Xingtai was going to say next.

Shi Xingtai let out a light cough which could be heard throughout the clan arena, silencing the spectators in order for his voice to be heard clearly by everyone.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Only two pairs of qi strands were released by Shi Xingtai at this moment, with the sun always at its peak, illuminating the qi strands while they glistened like luminous pearls. "Alright, we shall now start the semifinals with the first duel."

Boop.

With a light touch, Shi Xingtai tapped on one pair of qi strands before they circled around the four remaining participants and resided within the two chosen participants' bodies. Just like the quarterfinals, the bodies of those who have been chosen glowed a faint blue.

"What the..."

"This is..."

All the spectators could not believe the fact that this first duel was between two dragons. Both of them are renowned for their sword arts, with one having a sword art that radiated intense flames and unyielding strength, while the other one had a sword art that pursued speed and an instant burst of power.

Indeed, the first duel was between Shi Li and Shi Daoliang!

Shi Li could not help but chuckle at this lineup. "Shi Daoliang, the odds of this happening is definitely not high."

Shi Daoliang could not help but chuckle as well as he faced Shi Li. "I know right? Two great sword wielders, fighting off with their blades."

The two did not delay the duel any further as they went up the dueling platform, positioning themselves on two opposite ends. Both of them unsheathed their swords as their auras collided with each other at the center of the arena, making spectators feel that the duel was not between two Martial Novice clan members, but rather two dragons that want to let loose!

"Shi Li?" Shi Daoliang decided to tell Shi Li something that was weighing his heart.

"Hm?" Of course, Shi Li noticed Shi Daoliang's expression which was of slight confusion. Not long after, Shi Daoliang let out a smile, which was definitely a rare occurrence.

"Thank you for opening my mind to sword arts with those moves you showed earlier."

"Eh? Ah, not a problem at all. As long as it could help you in your path of cultivation, then I'm glad."

Seeing that the two duelists were not going to say anything further after that, Shi Xingtai waved his hand down as he shouted, "Let the first duel of the semifinals..."

"Begin!"